Fashion For Bankrobbers: Wearing The Inside Out
Artists Carina Shoshtary, Luise Zücker
Photographer Jan Reiser
Words Tom Czibolya
Carina Shoshtary and Luise Zücker are a curious duo in the evolving market of bespoke masks, empowering headpieces, and face coverings. Each merging jewelry and body-sculptures in high-concept statement pieces, the two artists came together under the flag of Fashion for Bankrobbers for a special event at the Berlin Fashion Week. In discussion with Container Love, the two designers told us about their take on wearable art, learning to trust their intuitions, and why the desire to protect our identities can make us express ourselves better.
Photography Jan Reiser Talents Anna von Rueden, Marq P. Musiq, FarAvaz Farvardini, Mihael Belilov, Elias Brenneisen, Aljoshka Puchinskj, Lukas Alexander von Horbatschewsky, Binta Yaffa, Sebastian Sauve Hair & Make-up Dani Berner, assisted by Fred Williams
When and how did you recognize the potential in the medium of masks and face coverings?
Luise: I studied fashion design and I am a trained couture tailor, but I’ve always been interested in using different materials rather than fabric. I love to mix and manipulate various mediums. Metal became one of my favorite materials. I took jewelry courses, but since coming from fashion and styling, I always liked to think bigger than classic jewelry. The idea of covering the face stood out to me. You can say so much with how or how much you cover your face. To me, it’s never been about hiding but transforming.
Carina: I trained as a goldsmith before studying contemporary jewelry at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich in the jewelry class. Initially, I wasn’t particularly drawn to the relationship between jewelry and the body, but over time, this changed. I came to see jewelry as an object with the power to instantly transform and empower the wearer. Masks take this a step further—their impact is immediate and even more dramatic. That’s what makes them so fascinating to me.
Is it the chance to become someone, something else, or the underlying anonymity that has been pushing face coverings into the mainstream?
Carina: Masks have always been present, resurfacing in different periods, but they never truly disappear. Each generation of artists has its own mask creators –for example, Alexander McQueen frequently incorporated headpieces and masks into his work. Even before COVID, there was a significant rise in interest in masks. I became acutely aware of this when I started the Instagram account Fashion for Bank Robbers in 2017. It struck me how many people across various creative fields and mediums were drawn to masks.
I believe this fascination can be seen as a response to the state of the world. Perhaps, as we look toward the future, there’s an increasing desire to shield our identities – to protect ourselves in some way.
Luise: One of my favorite contemporary masters of mask making is Martin Margiela. I deeply admire his work and his underground queer- kind-of-vibes, especially in the early 90s: focusing on the garments, rather than the face he used headpieces on his runway models. Since he also had to work it out with low budgets on make up and payouts, he just used anyone as a model and covered their face.
Also, talking about the perception of identity, artists like Lady Gaga brought masks to a broader audience, showing their inner world on the outside.
How far do you think this normalization can go?
Carina: During COVID, when masks became a daily necessity, people quickly began personalizing them—turning them into fashion statements. In that sense, masks aren’t so different from other protective accessories, like sunglasses, which have long been both functional and expressive.
Can you walk us through the process of designing a mask? How do you come up with ideas? How do you choose materials?
Luise: Sometimes you see a person’s face and it’s just there. You see the lines, the contour of another person’s features. I usually start with a plaster head and with drawing contours. Other times, I dream of a person, but in my dream, they look completely different. Each of my collections comes with a theme: the last one was tears and all the different reasons we shed them.
Carina: There’s always an intuitive aspect to my process. I usually have a vision in mind, but rather than sketching it out first, I start working directly with the materials, allowing the piece to take shape instinctively. If I’m creating a custom mask for an artist or performer, the process becomes more collaborative. We discuss shapes, colors, the overall mood and message of the piece, as well as its intended use and purpose.
Can you tell me about the Live Photoshoot you held at the Berlin Fashion Week?
Luise: We love to be unconventional. In one of our conversations, Carina dropped the idea of a Fashion for Bank Robbers fashion show. I loved it. We decided to do something different – instead of pulling a traditional runway show. We wanted to integrate the audience and give a diverse talent cast from various backgrounds like dance, music, and performance the stage in front of a Camera. In the end, we created a whole fashion editorial – a process which is usually closed off to the public – so guests and models alike could witness the transformation process of wearing masks and becoming a fashion bank robber live, in the flesh.
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